| Claire Batchelor
Biography |
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Claire started learning the classical guitar aged 7, where she began to practice music theory and progress through the grades. During her music GCSE she started to write compositions for classical guitar, songs and instrumental pieces. Submitting these for her exam (along with performing guitar and vocals) she gained an A and won the school music award. In her own time she played rhythm guitar and vocals in the band MTC, notably performing at an under 18’s Songwriting Showcase at West One Four in Kensington, sponsored by Smash Hits magazine. They also played at a staff party at Pinewood Studios and featured in the video for Howard Jones’s single Tomorrow is Now, along with Nick Beggs and Martin Grech.
Following this she moved on to Amersham College at 16, studying a BTEC in Popular Music and an A-Level in Music Technology. Here she formed rock bands with her friends, (Sleepvine, Crave) playing lead and rhythm guitar, bass and keyboards and in her spare time, taught guitar and bass. She also started to perform live solo acoustic sets around local venues in Chesham, Amersham, Aylesbury and High Wycombe, branching out to London at the 12 bar club in Soho. |
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Finishing College, Claire decided to work for a year before going to University. In this time, reality struck and she thought she’d better study a degree which could sensibly facilitate a career on completion. This is why Claire decided to study a Music Business course at BCUC in High Wycombe. The first year went well but she couldn’t help but think she should be getting up in the morning and playing guitar instead of attending a two hour accounting lecture. So in 2005 Claire moved to Brighton and started a new course; a HND in Music Performance at Northbrook College. Thinking back to her classical background, song writing and composition, mixed with her love of computers and technology, she decided to top up her HND in the last year to a BA (Hons) in Music Composition for Professional Media. Claire loved studying and composing, especially to picture, and from this change of direction she knew that she wanted to pursue this as her profession. Despite joining the composition course in the last year, Claire achieved a First Class with Honours. On completing her degree in 2007, Claire moved back home to Buckinghamshire and started putting her name out as a composer. She worked on the Video Art Short, ‘Renaissance of Bias’ for Nicolas Laborie, Short film ‘Oranges and lemons for Simon Spender, ‘The Silent Cancer’ Documentary for Direct Digital Pictures and independent film ‘Black Ink’. She also kept in contact with her peers on the south coast and wrote a piece for Worthing Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. In 2009 Claire officially released an acoustic EP: ‘Wish’, (Jam Central Records) and went full time as a composer after building up local clients. 2009 saw Claire’s first broadcast projects come to fruition with the ‘Bepanthen’ Mummy Mates branded cinema film, ‘Angel’ TV advert for Croft TV and the broadcast of The Silent Cancer on The Community Channel. Currently, Claire is pursuing national and international projects, working with many varied clients for tv, film, corporate and web videos and performing across the South East in her jazz duo, ‘Gin Sling’. To see a list of Claire’s recent credits, please download her CV. |
Claire performing at Northbrook College, 2006 |
